Refractometer calibration issues

kennyconley0269

Does anyone law have major accuracy issues with refractometers? I have tried multiple meters from different manufacturers and I can’t get them to work right. If I calibrate with distilled water per the instructions all my readings come out low. If I calibrate with a hydrometer reading then it will be accurate to that reading but the farther I deviate from that SG the more inaccurate it is.
Any advice on this would be appreciated. It would be great if I could rely on Refractometer readings and not have to pull a 100ml sample every time I want to check my SG.
Thanks

tracer-bullet

Dont' take this the wrong way, but off the top that probably means it's a problem with the method, not the equipment.
Compared to what? A hydrometer?
Thoughts: 1) Your hydrometer could be off. 2) Your sample going into your refractometer may need some help. Maybe what you are measuring isn't totally stirred up and mixed. Maybe it's too hot. Maybe it has a bunch of haze and particulates in it that need a chance to settle.
When I pull a thoroughly mixed wort sample, let it rest a few minutes (10), and then take a reading it matches my hydrometer basically perfectly.
Also FYI it's not for measuring anything with alcohol in it, only prior to fermentation. If you measure "beer" you should either use a hydrometer or at least refer to the charts with the corrections.

bracconiere

i'm not sure if this matters, but how precise are you trying to be? i can only guess between 1 BRIX on mine...which is multiplied by 4 to get SG i think.....

DBhomebrew

1 - Disregard the SG (1.xxx) scale.
2 - Read in Brix and use a refractometer calculator to find your actual SG. Part I pre-pitch. Part II post-pitch. 1.04 is a good default wort correction factor (WCF).


Refractometer Calculator - Brewer's Friend

www.brewersfriend.com
3 - Calibrate to distilled water.
4 - Be sure your wort is well mixed before pulling a sample.
5 - There are other best practices, but that's a good start.

hotbeer

Do you wear glasses? Are you focusing the refractometer to it's best focus for you?